Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
50. Set piece (2)
[Yu Sang-hun] What did y do?
On the bed in my dormitory room.
When I floated up a holographic message window, I saw a message so long I doubted if it was really sent by Yu Sang-hun.
Usually Jang Namuk would analyze Yu Sang-hun’s intentions in at least three lines, while adding a greeting, but it seemed he wasn’t able to check messages, because he was busy with the cheering squad work and Tao Sihu.
So instead of Jang Namuk, I typed in ‘?’ and sent it as a reply, and a surprisingly long messages flew back.
[Yu Sang-hun] Both of you left your seats.
[Yu Sang-hun] Jo Uisin from the beginning, Jang Namuk from the middle.
[Yu Sang-hun] Is it related to the communication cut-off on the opening ceremony?
It seemed that Yu Sang-hun’s instincts were getting better with each day.
An excuse regarding the communication failure that occurred during the opening ceremony, or to be precise, during the Byeoksa ceremony, was prepared beforehand.
Sport facilities used by large numbers of people had barriers to deal with sudden otherworld outbreaks, and Eungwang Stadium had R+++ rank barrier, just like Jamsil Baseball Stadium.
But after Jamsil Baseball Stadium incident, there was an opinion that the barriers of the key stadiums in the whole country should be raised to SR++ rank, and other sport facilities should also be raised to SR rank, as a countermeasure against the otherworld without warning phenomena.
The budget was the problem, but the Ju-Oh and TC’s next heads announced at the boat party that they would give financial support and the barrier upgrade was in progress.
In Eungwang Stadium’s case, the construction started under Hwang Myeong Group’s lead, and using this point it was announced to outsiders that the communication failure probably occurred because of the problem during the barrier reinforcement process.
‘There may be people, who would have doubts, like Yu Sang-hun.’
Though Yu Sang-hun wasn’t a bastard, who walked around spreading gossip outside, this matter was deeply related to Tao Sihu’s personal situation.
I tried to change the topic by talking about something irrelevant, but Yu Sang-hun made the first move.
[Yu Sang-hun] I still don’t see Tao Sihu, so isn’t that bastard related?
Jang Namuk, who just at that moment checked messages, asked shocked.
[Jang Namuk] Sanghun-ah, how did you know?
[Yu Sang-hun] I thought he would cause an incident someday.
[Jang Namuk] Ah… ㅠㅠ
There was nothing strange about the conversation, but I felt a sense of incongruity about the fact that Yu Sang-hun was the one leading the conversation.
Not only he wrote long messages, he continued talking about it even though he noticed that I and Jang Namuk tried to avoid this topic.
‘Why is he like that all of a sudden?’
Before I asked why, Yu Sang-hun sent a message first.
[Yu Sang-hun] That bastard was bothering Yu Sanghui-ssi and making strange sounds, so is it related to that?
[Jang Namuk] No. It’s not related to Sanghui noona… Did something happen?
[Yu Sang-hun] Said something about being careful with the career choice? Seems like just Tao Sihu’s nonsense kk
Tao Sihu was talking some sounds to my Playable Character?
It didn’t seem like the career choice story came out of nowhere, but as if Yu Sang-hun didn’t know anything beyond that, his messages gradually grew short, and in contrast to him, Jang Namuk’s messages grew very long.
Around the time when Jang Namuk wrote a dozen lines of encouragement and declaration of war for the basketball match, and Yu Sang-hun wrote nothing but ‘k’, I closed the message window and checked other messages.
[Bak Seung-hyeon] (photo)
[Bak Seung-hyeon] First match, picture with first MVP!
In the photo Bak Seung-hyeon was with the 1st year striker, who was chosen as an MVP, after scoring one goal and one assist today.
As it was taken just after the match, the 1st year striker was wearing a uniform and MVP medal, and his hair, which became a mess because other athletes randomly ruffled it during the ceremony, drew the eye.
Today’s MVP had a quite big build for a 1st year, so I thought that a tiny and somewhat timid Bak Seung-hyeon would be nervous, but looking at the two in the picture, they seemed to be very close regardless.
‘In the game, Bak Seung-hyeon didn’t have such a friend.’
The victims of persistent harassment didn’t only suffer pain, but also underwent changes to their personality.
There was a high chance they would become defensive and introverted because of harassment, and the in-game Bak Seung-hyeon might have closed his heart and distanced himself from the striker to prevent harm to his surroundings.
Even when during the 2nd year Bak Seung-hyeon got swept up in the incident and by chance became close with Ju Su-hyeok, it took a long time to open his heart, and even then he pretended not to know Ju Su-hyeok at school, perhaps because he was conscious of the illegally admitted guys, who were harassing him.
‘He joined the Earthly Wings Council, and is taking good care of Mok Uram and… He is very different from the Bak Seung-hyeon I know.’
I felt anew how much Bak Seung-hyeon changed after solving the April Fool’s Day incident.
After saving the photo, I sent a message congratulating to Bak Seung-hyeon’s friend, and thanked him for taking care of Mok Uram before he got caught as a hogu.
The story of the 1st year striker, who was chosen as an MVP, came up even in the next chatroom I checked.
[Mun Saeron] I’ve got an interview with today’s MVP~!
In the Newspaper Club’s group chat room, the Newspaper Club’s members densely updated on the pictures each of them took and planned interviews.
The 1st year Newspaper Club’s members were tasked with choosing the photos to include in the articles among the photos taken during the opening ceremony, but they were in a blissful dilemma, because there were no photos to throw away.
The photos could be largely categorized into the sport grounds before the entire audience entered, the opening ceremony, Baek Ho-gun’s sword dance, Playlist shooting, cheering and football match.
They were categorized for each topic, but all photos looked cool, so it wasn’t easy to decide what to put in the article and what to leave out.
[Mun Saeron] Wouldn’t it be better to pick out all the cheering squad photos and compile it into a photo book?
[Mun Saeron] Because all Players from the Student Council are popular, I think people will line up to buy them if we sell it.
It was as Mun Saeron said.
The cheering squad was overflowing with perfect photo subjects like my Playable Character Student Council’s vice president Ji Myeongsu or title heroine An Dain.
[Mun Saeron] It seems we will have to first make a photo book of that Person, who reenacted Baek-ho’s Byeoksa from Gaecheon Myth for the biggest impact! ㅋㅋㅋ [1]
At Mun Saeron’s words, I snapped back to my senses.
As my main Playable Character reenacted the in-myth’s feat, it wasn’t even a bit strange for a photo book to come out, but it wasn’t very desirable for the informant Mun Saeron to turn her attention to Baek Ho-gun.
Nothing besides him being a student of Eungwang School was revealed about Baek Ho-gun.
The description said that because chairman Hwang Myeong-ho stubbornly and hastily added it to the schedule, the profile of the student, who danced the sword dance, wasn’t properly released, but if Mun Saeron starts to dig, she might find that blind-spot in the published description.
I decided to change the topic.
[Me] I plan to put out an article with an interview with senior Yeom Junyeol-nim, what kind of picture would be good there?
[Mun Saeron] Wow, You got a comment from Star Yeom Junyeol?? I tried to get one because I wanted to do an interview about Playlist, but He put on an iron wall! ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[Me] He said He doesn’t accept question related to Playlist. It seems it would be better not to use pictures taken during the broadcast shooting.
At the news about landing an interview with Yeom Junyeol, the topic changed straight away.
After getting Mun Saeron’s selection of the best cuts, I checked the next message.
The next message was from an unexpected person.
[Geun Chansol] Suspicious vice president-nim-ah, are You close with Dokgo Miro?
The 2nd year class 0’s president Geun Chansol spoke through one on one message.
She usually talked in the group chatroom with Wang Chansol, so I didn’t know what was the reason.
‘Would it be complicated if Wang Chansol saw this conversation?’
I had no idea why Geun Chansol tried to ask about Dokgo Miro’s stories, but I decided to answer with a line that wouldn’t be a problem.
After briefly conveying that we met and exchanged some words through Yeom Junyeol’s introduction, the only reply which came back was subtly scratching the insides[2] ‘kk, if so I guess you aren’t that close’.
I heard that the 2nd year class 0’s senior bastards were planning to raid chairman’s office today but were caught by Gong Cheonghwon, and then greatly scolded by Jegal Jaegeol, so was it why her thinking circuit became a bit strange?
Though it was always strange.
‘The next message was also sent by a bastard, whose thinking I can’t understand.’
The next message I checked out was sent by a strange Jin, who whined to please record him in the device address book under the false name ‘Cunning’ instead of the name used in the public ‘Seodol’.
[Cunning] I’m slowly planning to return from England. Should I bring You a ‘gift’? The two things I prepared are similar.
If it’s a gift, what is in that that it’s similar to a gift?
I was more bothered by the usage of the polite tone, rather than a talk about some sort of gift.
[Cunning] What do You think I should do to celebrate my return home? But I don’t know if Jo Uisin will like or dislike one, and think that Jo Uisin will hate the other.
[Cunning] What to do?
Even when you ask what to do, I have no idea what sound is that.
A thing that I may like or dislike.
A thing I’ll hate.
I didn’t know what it was, I couldn’t say it’s usually a ridiculous thing to call a ‘gift’.
In the moment I was dumbfounded, worrying if I should start ghosting him or not, an additional message was sent.
[Cunning] Please don’t ghost me.
Did he suffer someone’s ghosting recently?
Because of Cunning’s fast countermeasure, I couldn’t help but reply with ‘Do as You like, please.’ wrapped in courtesy.
Anyhow, it seemed that Cunning would do as he liked, no matter what I answered.
The next message was sent by the person, who received that Cunning’s blessing.
The sun set a while ago, but it seemed he was still working.
[Hong Gyubin] We got a confession out of the nurse officer just now.
[Hong Gyubin] He said that he planted seeds in cadet Tao Sihu’s body and manipulated examination results, huh?
As Hong Gyubin’s tone was much stiffer than usual, it seemed that interrogation didn’t go our way.
[Hong Gyubin] He still keeps his mouth shut about the person behind it.
[Hong Gyubin] It seems he knows that our side only got a name of an executive who transferred the money. He keeps requesting pardon in exchange for offering the information.
[Hong Gyubin] He probably knows very well what awaits him if we hand him over to the Military Police.
A case where a Player soldier committed a crime related to superpowers. The army’s judicial institution would never show mercy.
With usual crimes, when justice was carried out, the weight of the punishment changed based on the person, who committed the crime, background and the social trends, but through all generations of the Player soldier criminals, they were thoroughly punished, based on indifferent rules.
When Jang Namuk, who wasn’t even a fully-fledged solider, was dragged to the disciplinary room, two 3-stars had to be mobilized to barely take him out.
[Hong Gyubin] We have no thoughts of negotiating with the government to obtain a pardon for such a bastard. And there is no value to it.
[Hong Gyubin] We coaxed him with some vague words, but we’re planning to hand him over to the Military Police some day.
[Hong Gyubin] We will dig what we can during the remaining time.
Hong Gyubin spoke flatly.
I didn’t doubt the Association’s abilities, but there may be a more efficient way to choose with limited time.
‘Wouldn’t it be good to call a torture expert?’
How about talking to Hwang Jiho and making Kim Sinrok interfere into the interrogation process?
As I sent a message with roughly this gist to Hwang Jiho, a reply came straight away.
[Hwang Jiho] What are you doing not resting?
What am I doing? I’m sending messages.
I thought it wasn’t necessary to trouble myself replying, and decided to just pass it over.
The next message came from Kwon Jane.
[Kwon Jane] Is Lena doing well?
I knew that Kwon Lena was staying at the Eternal Lake team’s building throughout the weekend.
Considering how she asked how she was doing, it seemed that Kwon Jane also noticed that Kwon Lena was worried about Sawol Seeum.
‘She would notice as she knows about the Fantasy Auction.’
I evaded the topic a bit and sent a picture taken with class children today.
Kwon Jane was extremely happy to receive a picture of Kwon Lena, but looking at the picture where she put distance between her and Sawol Seeum, she couldn’t hide a subtle worry.
About the time when my eyes were slowly closing, I saw a message full of sorrow sent by a Jin, who seemed to have a lot of time.
[Ok Toyeon] Benefactor-ah…
[Ok Toyeon] Let’s watch baseball next year…
Not a long time ago, the team wreck TC Knights lost all its tragic numbers and confirmed its early elimination from the winter baseball.
After that, Ok Toyeon would occasionally send messages to go watch baseball next year, just when the night fell.
As a game wreck user, I understood that attachment and grievance, so I sent a message ‘Will do’, and then turned off the device screen.
‘Sawol Seeum and Kwon Lena… Is there nothing I can help with?’
I forgot about Ok Toyeon’s message straight away, but couldn’t easily forget about the conversation I had with Kwon Jane.
But perhaps because I was tried, I couldn’t come up with a good idea, and even today, I soon fell into sleep without dreams.
*~*~*
[1] ㅋㅋㅋ — ‘kekeke’
[2] scratching the insides — to annoy, push one’s buttons
Translator’s note: Look at all those people being in a perfect place at the perfect moment to do a perfect job. What a coincidence.
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